The Wonders of Michigan State’s expanded worlds under President John Hannah’s leadership

PHOTO: Wonders Hall opened in 1963 as John Hannah's example of a progressive campus before the 1964 and 1965 Civil Rights Acts were signed. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report By TOM SHANAHAN Gene Washington escaped the segregated South 60 years ago, boarding Michigan State’s Underground Railroad from La Porte, Texas. His life-altering journey as a freshman football recruit for preseason practice was prior to September classes. The time frame, coincidentally, matched 250,000 Americans traveling to the nation’s capital…

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Izzo’s unique consistency knocking on Final Four doors

PHOTO: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo opened his 25th straight NCAA tournament guiding the Spartans to a first-round win over USC. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report By TOM SHANAHAN It’s true a Final Four opportunity escaped Michigan State with the Sweet Sixteen loss to Kansas State, but that’s a backwards view – an over-and-back violation of the program’s 25-year streak of NCAA tournament trips. The drought, after all, is only three seasons! Plenty of schools and coaches –…

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Blame fake wrestling for NCAA women’s Final Four sideshow

PHOTO: LSU's Angel Reese (10) and Iowa's Caitlin Clark lifted their sport in the 2023 NCAA women's Final Four, but the discussion later shifted to taunting. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report By TOM SHANAHAN We should be still awash in the glow surrounding the 2023 LSU-Iowa NCAA women’s basketball title. The parallels with the 1979 Michigan State-Indiana State men’s championship deserve more discussion. When Michigan State’s Magic Johnson faced Indiana’s State’s Larry Bird, the showdown captivated the nation.…

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